Atop the Mountain High and Low
by Selene Illusinia
Summary: Jiaying and Cal take a moment to reflect on what is to come. Takes place some time near the end of Season 2
1. Chapter 1

It was a nightmare she had not considered, though it should have been predicted. As Jiaying stepped into her room, it was the one thought that seemed to flow endlessly through her mind. Curse all that had happened. This chaos was proving more than it was worth. Then again, she had been young when she had impulsively decided fathering a child with a regular human might be the answer to their prayers. Obviously, some factors could not be predicted.

Crossing to a chair settled beside the sliding wall which opened to view the mountains beyond, Jiaying slid the wall aside to allow the breeze of the evening to flow into her rooms. There was a light scent to it that night- one of early spring. It brought peace to her otherwise occupied mind. Sadly, the peace could not last. Not while her daughter's life hang in the balance.

It had been naïve of her to refuse to return among her people when she'd discovered her pregnancy. Had she, Daisy would have been properly prepared for what was to come in her life. No doubt her daughter would have been exposed to the mists- the elder council was too anxious to have another like herself for them to avoid it. Even with their reservations concerning Daisy's human genetics, they would have agreed. And there were many reservations.

Always they had been careful when choosing partners. Genetics were too large a part of their society to not carefully select a mate who's genetics would likely cause the least amount of mutation. It was their greatest enemy- the physical deformation that tended to occur when they were exposed to the mists. Some were worse than others of course, Gordon and Raina being excellent examples of how badly the transformation could go. But Daisy, she was untouched physically by her transformation. Even Jiaying had not been untouched. In her case, however, the transformation had been a blessing rather than a curse. She could still recall the moment she realized all of her scars from childhood were gone. Every injury she had ever sustained that left a mark was cleansed from her body and the scars she bore now were gradually diminishing with time. In a few more years, there would likely be no external marks left from her death.

Only the internal scars would remain- the ones only she could see. She needed those scars though. Those scars reminded her how dangerous the outside world was and how foolish she had been to venture away from the others. It was a fate she would ensure Daisy did not befall, one way or another.

Not that she believed the council would let her daughter leave. No, Daisy was too volatile emotionally. She ran the risk of everyone discovering their existence and most of their people could not regenerate as she did. It was not worth the risk- the council would have Daisy killed first and she would let them. No matter how much she loved her daughter, the community came first. There was no other option. It was why Cal had been brought there.

Cal, that stupid man. How he had become so careless, Jaiying wasn't sure. Of course, he'd been under her control before she had died. After though...it was clear he had more than a few screws loose. Hopefully, Lincoln would have a better time keeping Daisy in check. If he could keep Daisy in the city, then all would be well. It was her greatest hope.

No part of her wanted to see her daughter killed, but the council would order it if they believed her a threat. And with Cal acting as he was, they would assume Daisy to be as equally threatening. Not that she could blame them. What had he been thinking, collecting Inhuman children from the streets? Those exiled were thrown out for a reason- largely due to genetic flaws that made them ineligible for the mists. Even if they reproduced, the possibility of their descendents stabilizing enough to qualify was almost null. Those children and their ancestors had been banished for a reason, it was not Cal's place to interfere.

She was still hopeful she could bring him back under her sway, at least enough that the council wouldn't feel the need to kill him. If she couldn't, then Daisy would certainly be judged unfit as well. Their only hope was to prove that she was more stable than her father.

So far, it was hard to tell. Daisy was blocking herself off from everyone- including Lincoln. He'd thought he was making progress when he took her into the hills, but she'd proven that night that he still had no sway over her. It was a problem that would need to be resolved. Hopefully, with her as Daisy's guide, she could encourage her daughter to enter into some kind of a relationship with Lincoln. His genetics were good and he wasn't opposed to the idea.

Not that he really knew any of what was happening. As far as he was concerned, she was asking him to watch over Daisy and assist her in transitioning into their community. He had no way of knowing she was hoping he'd be able to convince Daisy to stay as he had so many others. His charm was something he was blind to and its effects on others were equally foreign to him. She only prayed Daisy would prove so easily moved as most of the others who had been placed in Lincoln's care.

Signing, Jiaying forced the thoughts and their associated worries from her mind. These were matters she would need to wait until morning to contend with regardless of what she wished. Hopefully, the morning would bring her a bit closer to a resolution with this whole mess.

And to think, if she had only listened and not stepped outside of her community in an attempt to stabilize her genetics, none of this would have ever happened...


	2. Chapter 2

He had done it. Jiaying had confirmed he'd done it. He'd done what she'd asked! Finally, he had succeeded! He'd done exactly what she wanted. Now, she was bound to come back to him. He'd done what she asked so she'd come back. His beautiful flower, the light and peace of his life.

Jiaying had always been everything he could ever want- the one woman he desired above all else. She would love him now that he'd brought their daughter back. She'd promised! She'd promised that she'd bring him to Afterlife with him once he'd found their daughter and killed Whitehall. That had been the deal. Kill the man who had tried to kill her to make sure their secret didn't escape and then she'd bring him here to live with her. He could have her again in his arms. That had been what she'd promised.

The shambled ruins of the room suddenly registered to him. No, this wouldn't do. She could arrive any minute for him! He needed the room to be in order. Though she'd likely forgive him if it wasn't, he didn't feel she needed to see this part of him. She didn't like the monster inside him- she'd said so. Said he needed to keep the monster caged, otherwise Daisy would be in danger. Jiaying would protect their daughter as much as she could, of course, but there was no way to guarantee her safety if the Council didn't want her safe.

It wouldn't be a problem though- she'd come get him when it was safe to and then they could be a family again! They could be a family and he could be happy again. It had been so long since he'd been happy. When Jiaying had found him in that backwater village after she died, he'd been in a gutter at the bottom of a bottle and wondering where he could find a gun to kill himself with. Then she'd come and given him two jobs- kill the man who threatened them and find Daisy. Find their daughter. She'd promised that he could come to Afterlife if he got their daughter and killed that evil man, Whitehall. And now here he was. But he was too angry to walk around- they couldn't risk he'd hurt someone.

No, for now he needed to be locked up. But soon, soon he'd be allowed out. Soon they'd let him walk around with everyone else and he could hug his daughter and Jiaying and they could be the family they were always supposed to be. Yes, they'd be a happy family and they'd stay in Afterlife for the rest of their lives.

They'd be safe from the world. No one would come to take his family away again. No one would try to take his happiness away. He could be happy again and have everything he wanted. Jiaying and Daisy were all that mattered to him. And he could have them again. Jiaying promised. She'd promised they'd be together again once he did what she asked. And he'd brought Daisy back, so even though he hadn't managed to kill Whitehall, he'd recovered their daughter and Whitehall was dead. Even if it was Coulson who'd killed Whitehall, he'd been about to kill the man. That had to count. Jiaying would accept that. The Council would accept that. He'd proven he could do what he was told. They had to accept it.

They had to. He couldn't lose everything, not again. No, they'd accept it and he'd be allowed out. They'd be a family again. They'd be happy. They had to be.

He'd make them be happy together, no matter what it took.


End file.
